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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28075914">Nightmares</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ctrvpani/pseuds/Ctrvpani'>Ctrvpani</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mafia (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Oneshot, Song fic, but nothing graphic, mentions/indications of past abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:08:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28075914</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ctrvpani/pseuds/Ctrvpani</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>From time to time Sam suffers with nightmares, nightmares about his childhood. Luckily Paulie is always there for him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Paulie Lombardo/Sam Trapani</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The song in this fic is ‘Nightmares’ by All Time Low</p><p>I also took the lock in the box idea from ‘Doctor Sleep’ (one of my favourite books)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sam jolted awake, eyes snapping open, a soft gasp from his lips and his fingers clenching a little tighter onto the arm currently wrapped around him. His fingers trembled a little and breathing almost felt a little weak as he breathed out, trembling as his eyes looked around the dark room of his bedroom. For a moment he felt like he was back in his bedroom as a kid, that fear and that vulnerability because he was feeling the dream but slowly it began to leave him. It look him a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room before he realised he was in the bedroom of his apartment, in his bed, Paulie asleep right behind him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he breathed in before exhaling through his nose as he opened his eyes again. </p><p>
  <i>Every little thing got me coming back around<br/>
Digging up old memories</i>
</p><p>It was still dark out whatever time it was, just silence around him as his eyes looked over at the slightly open bedroom door before slowly and hesitantly shuffling and sliding out of Paulie’s warm embrace, as much as he felt himself wanting to climb back into his arms he ignored the feeling. Feeling the cold air touch his arms as he gently kicked the covers away from himself. As he got out of Paulie’s embrace he slowly sat up, turning his head to see him fast asleep in his bed, spread out and mouth slightly open as he slept. Paulie has always said how much he prefers his bed over his own so of course he’s out like a light. Slowly he climbed out of bed and made his way into the living room, he didn’t bother to turn the light on as he made his way to the couch and sat down, his hand grabbing for the box of cigarettes on the coffee table.</p><p>
  <i>Always used to be the one to let it go<br/>
Kept my fears in a suitcase</i>
</p><p>His hands were shaking a little as he grabbed a cigarette out the box, throwing the box down on the coffee table as he picked up the lighter and tried to light it up.</p><p>
  <i>I locked them away<br/>
In a place they wouldn't find</i>
</p><p> His hands where shaking too much which was making it much more difficult, this strong annoyance filling him and almost feeling as if he’s pleading for the goddamn cigarette to light up. He should probably just take a drink instead since the stupid lighter won’t work...but he can’t....he can’t stoop down to <b><i>his</i></b> level. Eventually the cigarette lit up causing him to drop the lighter down on the table before pulling the cigarette from his lips and breathing out the smoke. He leaned forward, his arms resting on his thighs as he looked out, his mind traveling back to the nightmare he just had. </p><p>The feel of his knees hitting the floor, the large hand on his ankle, the sharp pain of a broken glass bottle slicing his ankle. He needs to stop thinking about it, it was making his nerves a lot worse. He closed his eyes for a moment as he sighed, head looking down at the ground, eyes looking towards the scar on his ankle.</p><p>
  <i>They still haunt me<br/>
I think about it every now and again</i>
</p><p>Sam often has reoccurring nightmares, ones about his childhood, ones he’s never told anyone about...except for Paulie. In all honesty he never thought he’d ever tell anyone about these dreams oh how times have changed. Paulie never pushes him to talk about his past or dreams if he doesn’t want to talk about it and Sam appreciates that. The thing about these dreams is that they scare him as much as he denies it, makes him feel like that scared little boy he was all those years ago growing up. The fear eventually grew into anger as he got older and he cut his parents out of his life...but it didn’t remove the damage or memories as much as Sam wished it did. They returned to him through nightmares...well he says nightmares but they’re more like him reliving the memories that he experienced as a child almost like he’s the ghost of himself in these dreams.</p><p>
  <i>Now there's a ghost in the back of this room<br/>
And I don't like it</i>
</p><p>There’s one in particular that likes to make a nasty appearance from time to time, the ankle dream he calls it. If the scar on his ankle was not enough here it is in dream form and the worst thing about it? He’s not a child in these dreams, he’s the age he is now and something about it makes it so much worse. He tries so hard to fight these dreams, even recognising it’s a dream from time to time but most of the time he just has to ride it out, wait for his body to eventually just wake up.</p><p>
  <i>I fall asleep with my covers pulled up<br/>
And try to fight it</i>
</p><p>He sat up again as he took another inhale of his cigarette before slowly breathing out the smoke. It helped to calms the nerves he was feeling to somewhat extent but his mind couldn’t help but travel back to that particular incident that haunts him when he has these nightmares. The nights he has these dreams he’ll just come out here, sit on the couch alone with his thoughts for however long until the next day or he’s tired enough to go back to sleep.</p><p>
  <i>I gotta say it's hard to be brave<br/>
When you're alone in the dark</i>
</p><p>He sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand before putting the cigarette back in his mouth and inhaling the smoke, helping to give somewhat relief but not really. He looked over at the clock on the wall, it was only 3am...looks like more hours of just sitting here smoking until he passes out or the sun rises. He felt his eyes looking down at his legs again, particularly at the scar and his ankle causing him to nervously swallow. He remembers the first time Paulie saw the scar it was during a moment between them in bed and Paulie’s hand had gently held his ankle before his thumb brushed against the scar. Paulie didn’t pause or ask questions he just continued but his thumb was more or less just caressing the scar, gently brushing across it, it felt somewhat comforting. Paulie had asked him about it afterwards and in the end Sam just ended up telling him. Sam stills keeps a lot to himself in an attempt of pushing away the memories but it doesn’t help. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s still haunted by these memories of his past.</p><p>
  <i>I told myself that I wouldn't be scared<br/>
But I'm still having nightmares</i>
</p><p>“Sammy?” Softly called out Paulie. As Sam turned around there was Paulie entering the living room with the goddamn bedsheets wrapped around himself.<br/>
“Thought you were asleep” Said Sam<br/>
“Bed was cold” shrugged Paulie causing Sam to scoff and shake his head as Paulie came over to join him on the couch. It was quiet as Paulie sat down, watching Sam, watching how he kind of looked out, lost in his thoughts as he put the cigarette back to his lips.<br/>
“Bad dream?” asked Paulie as Sam shrugged<br/>
“It’s nothin’” muttered Sam as he removed the cigarette from his lips and blew out smoke<br/>
“Sure looks like nothing” responded Paulie, Sam never really talks about his bad dreams but Paulie knew of them, knew what basterd haunted him.<br/>
“Just a bad dream is all...I’m fine” muttered Sam but Paulie knew better. He watched as Sam looked down again, towards his ankle.</p><p>“It was the ankle one wasn’t it?” Said Paulie as Sam turned his head to look at him, silence before he nervously licked his lips. Sam turned back to face the coffee table before putting the remains of the cigarette out.<br/>
“Yeah” he muttered, barely a whisper before resting his arms on his thighs again as he ducked his head down. Paulie watched Sam, feeling this sadness fill him as he watched him.<br/>
“I’d make that basterd pay Sammy”<br/>
“Well lucky for us he’s already gone, just my ma left...still waiting for that phone call telling me she’s gone...looking forward to it” Said Sam, voice going a little quiet at the last part. </p><p>Paulie wasn’t really sure what to say he just wanted to be there to provide some sort of comfort for Sam. He nervously swallowed before shuffling a little closer to him on the couch<br/>
“Could I ask a question?” Started Paulie<br/>
“Sure”<br/>
“Do you?...do you know it’s a dream when it happens?” Asked Paulie before Sam shrugged<br/>
“Most of the time but...but I still can’t wake up” explained Sam as Paulie nodded before nervously licking his lips.<br/>
“Can I tell you something? I’ve never told anyone this because it’s pretty embarrassing but maybe it’ll help” asked Paulie as Sam kept quiet, eyes still looking out at the wall in front of him.</p><p>“I’m not getting an answer so I’m gonna take the silence as a sure! Ok um as a kid I used to have this same reoccurring dream about a clown” Started Paulie causing Sam to turn his head to look at Paulie, eyebrow raised up in amusement.<br/>
“A clown?”<br/>
“Hey those things are scary! Anyway I ran into one as a kid and after that I kept having nightmares about it. I realised it the more I had them that it was a dream and that in my dreams I can do whatever I want!” Continued Paulie, Sam sat up properly again as he listened to his story and Paulie turned his body a little more to face him.</p><p>“So in my mind I created a box with a lock and sucked the asshole into it. You know what the funny thing is? After that I never had a bad dream about that clown again” Sam looked at Paulie with amusement, eyes a little wide with surprise as if he wasn’t sure what to say.<br/>
“So what? you want me to create a box?”<br/>
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Exclaimed Paulie before moving a lot closer to Sam<br/>
“Next time you have a bad dream and realise it’s a dream you create a box and lock that basterd in!” He continued causing Sam to shake his head.</p><p>“Who’s to say that’ll work Paulie?” Scoffed Sam as he turned more to face him<br/>
“It might not but it’s always worth a try and if it doesn’t work? I’ll always be there to listen if you need to talk Sammy...you don’t have to come out here and sit by yourself” Sam hesitantly let Paulie reach out and take his hand into his, this thumb gently brushing against Sam’s knuckles.</p><p>“You can wake me or if I’m back at my place you can call me. I’ll be there to talk, Hell I’ll even get in the car and come to your place if that’s what you wanted no matter what time it is...I’m here for you Sam” he said softly as Sam sadly smiled<br/>
“Thanks” whispered Sam as Paulie gave a soft smile.</p><p>Sam felt tired, really tired and he couldn’t help but shuffle closer to Paulie. Luckily Paulie took the hint and opened up the blanket to invite Sam into this bubble or warmth he had created for himself and wrapped an arm around Sam. As Sam settled into a comfortable position Paulie leaned his head down a little to press a kiss to Sam’s head. It wasn’t long before they both felt like they were melting into the couch, the feel of warmth from each other and Sam’s head resting against Paulie’s shoulder before they were both peacefully falling back asleep.</p>
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